This is another of those wines that I never really understood the reason for selling it. Not to be a snob - but still, if the wine is poor, why push it? Saslove is such a great producer of wine - I wonder why he would have wanted his name on such a dud! Carmel pushed it, but still. All my friends who drink his wine (a few are religious - but that is for another blog), say the stuff is the bomb. A real shame that his real stuff is not "kosher".

Perhaps a shame for those who seek kosher wines but not for many winemakers who make wine out of the kind of love that demands a hands-on relationship with the winemaking process that might well be impossible if they were to switch to kosher production.

Perhaps a shame for those who seek kosher wines but not for many winemakers who make wine out of the kind of love that demands a hands-on relationship with the winemaking process that might well be impossible if they were to switch to kosher production.

BestRogov

Could not agree more on that. From what my buddies say - Barry is a very hands on wine maker and really wants to be one-on-one with his wine and must. One day I think he will see the potential value of producing more of the same stuff - which just happens to be kosher. This way he makes the same stuff and is still hands on with his wine - while having a parallel wine run with kosher oversight, but still with his oversight for blends, etc.

Worth keeping in mind that a service winery is opening now in Israel, the purpose of that winery being to produce their own wines as well as to serve as a base for those nonkosher wineries who want to produce kosher editions.

A few technical problems to work out with the rabbinut (local rabbinical authorities) however, for as of the moment they are insisting that such wineries cannot use their own name in any way on their labels. That would mean, for example, that Barry Saslove's wines could not carry his name in any manner whatsoever and that in turn would mean having to build up an entirely new brand loyalty. Is a problem!!!! Whether common sense will rule or not (as in so many other things in this little land) remains to be seen.

The title of this thread needs to be changed. This is such an important issue. We have talked about kosher vs. non-kosher many times and we have discussed why many wineries in Israel choose NOT to be kosher.

But this new service enabling the winemakers who are not sabbath observant to work at a facility and make a kosher cuvee is GREAT. It is great for the wineries, it is great for kosher consumers, and it is great IF the resulting wine turns out to be a wine on par with the non-certified wines of the winery - there is no reason why it shouldn't.

That the #$%^%$#$%^ rabbinate is not allowing the use of the winery's name is ludicrous. Sure I understand their reasoning, but how many consumer goods are there on the market that LOOK exactly like another such product? Or how many products are made in one country with certification whereas the SAME product is made elsewhere un-certified??!!

People buying wine are adults. At supermarkets that only carry kosher products there is no conflict. At wine shops that carry both kosher & uncertified, kosher consumers have learned to check for the certification.

Truly absurd. Maybe I have not thought it through completely, but (please forgive this emotional statement) this stinks of yet another situation where the rabbinate is simply waiting for their palms to be greased before giving their go-ahead...